A boy allegedly murdered by his father and stepmother following a 'campaign of cruelty' was found with almost 100 areas of injury, a court heard.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, was found with dozens of bruises from his head to his feet, post-mortem examinations showed.
The boy was systematically abused by Thomas Hughes, 29, and his 32-year-old partner Emma Tustin, it is alleged, before being killed in June last year.
He suffered neglect and harm 'designed to terrorise', prosecutors claim, including being deprived of food and forced to stand for hours on end. Arthur was also repeatedly poisoned with salt, the court heard.
The schoolboy died from 'unsurvivable brain injuries' a day after being allegedly attacked by Tustin at her home near Solihull, West Midlands. Tustin and Hughes deny murder and multiple counts of child cruelty.
A trial at Coventry Crown Court was today told how Arthur's body was found to be covered in bruises.
Home Office pathologist Matthew Lyle identified 93 areas of injury, including on Arthur's head, arms, legs, feet, torso, buttocks and back.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes (pictured above with his father), six, was found with dozens of bruises from his head to his feet, post-mortem examinations showed
The boy was systematically abused by Thomas Hughes, 29, and his 32-year-old partner Emma Tustin (pictured above), it is alleged, before being killed in June last year.
Dr Lyle said some of the marks may have been accidental or explained by medical intervention attempts after Arthur collapsed and was taken to hospital.
But jurors were told that 25 sites of bruising on his scalp, face, and neck raised 'serious concerns about non-accidental injury'.
Giving evidence, Dr Lyle told jurors: 'I'm not sure that outside of obvious traumatic situations I've ever seen a child found dead at home with this number of injuries to the head and face.'
The court heard that there were 20 areas of bruising found on Arthur's arms and eight on his chest and stomach. He said of bruises on the upper arms: 'That's not a typical site for an accidental injury. And there are multiple bruises in that area.
'I think it's quite possible they've been caused by gripping.' Arthur had been in the full-time care of Hughes after his mother, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, was accused of killing her new partner, Gary Cunningham, in February 2019.
Prosecutors allege youngster was subjected to months of cruelty by Hughes and Tustin which matched the 'medical definition of child torture'.
The court heard how Arthur spent more than 14 hours a day 'segregated and isolated' in a hallway and was made to sleep on a living room floor.
In a 999 call made 12 minutes after Arthur was found unresponsive on June 16, Tustin claimed his head injuries were self-inflicted. She claimed he had 'banged his head while on the floor on all fours'.
The court heard that there were 19 areas of injury found on Arthur's legs, including behind the knee and his inner thighs. A dozen clusters of bruising were discovered on his back, Dr Lyle said.
Asked if six injuries on Arthur's buttocks were in line with 'reasonable chastisement', the pathologist replied: 'I don't think so, no.' He added: 'In my view, the impression of that is inflicted injuries'.
